Isolation and structural determination of rat neuromedin U

doi:10.1016/S0006-291X(88)80848-9

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications

Volume 156, Issue 1, 14 October 1988, Pages 355-360

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-291X(88)80848-9 Get rights and content

Summary

Rat neuromedin U was isolated from the small intestine using mainly immunoaffinity chromatography and radioimmunoassay for pig neuromedin U-8. The amino acid sequence of rat neuromedin U was determined by microsequence analysis to be Tyr-Lys-Val-Asn-Glu-Tyr-Gln-Gly-Pro-Val-Ala-Pro-Ser-Gly-Gly-Phe-Phe-Leu-Phe-Arg-Pro-Arg-Asn-NH₂, and this structure was confirmed by synthesis. Although the C-terminal heptapeptide amide structure of pig neuromedin U is completely conserved in rat neuromedin U, the remainder of the peptide reveals nine amino acid replacements and two amino acid deletions when compared to pig neuromedin U-25. Rat neuromedin U exerts two-fold potent uterus stimulant activity as compared to pig neuromedin U-25.

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Cited by (72)

The neuromedin U system: Pharmacological implications for the treatment of obesity and binge eating behavior
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Neuromedin U (NMU) is a bioactive peptide produced in the gut and in the brain, with a role in multiple physiological processes. NMU acts by binding and activating two G protein coupled receptors (GPCR), the NMU receptor 1 (NMU-R1), which is predominantly expressed in the periphery, and the NMU receptor 2 (NMU-R2), mainly expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). In the brain, NMU and NMU-R2 are consistently present in the hypothalamus, commonly recognized as the main “feeding center”. Considering its distribution pattern, NMU revealed to be an important neuropeptide involved in the regulation of food intake, with a powerful anorexigenic ability. This has been observed through direct administration of NMU and by studies using genetically modified animals, which revealed an obesity phenotype when the NMU gene is deleted. Thus, the development of NMU analogs or NMU-R2 agonists might represent a promising pharmacological strategy to treat obese individuals. Furthermore, NMU has been demonstrated to influence the non-homeostatic aspect of food intake, playing a potential role in binge eating behavior. This review aims to discuss and summarize the current literature linking the NMU system with obesity and binge eating behavior, focusing on the influence of NMU on food intake and the neuronal mechanisms underlying its anti-obesity properties. Pharmacological strategies to improve the pharmacokinetic profile of NMU will also be reported.
Regulation of feeding and therapeutic application of bioactive peptides
2022, Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Citation Excerpt :
A 52-week administration of tirzepatide to patients with T2DM reduced HbA1c levels and body weights in a dose-dependent manner (Del Prato et al., 2021) (Table 1). NMU is a 23–25-amino acid neuropeptide (Fig. 2), which was first isolated from the spinal cord of pigs in 1985, and later from other species (Minamino, Kangawa, Honzawa, & Matsuo, 1988; Minamino, Kangawa, & Matsuo, 1985). It was named based on its powerful contractile activity in the rat uterine muscle.
Obesity and obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia, are worldwide pandemics; therefore, studies have been conducted energetically to elucidate the mechanism of obesity and develop anti-obesity drugs. Robust progress in the peptide chemistry and molecular biology has identified many peptides that regulate appetite and energy metabolism over the past dozen years. Several drugs, such as analogs or receptor agonists of anorectic peptides, have been developed. Overall, peptide-related drugs have powerful anti-obesity effects with fewer adverse effects than previous anti-obesity drugs. Liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, was first used as an antidiabetic drug, and then high-dose liraglutide was used as an anti-obesity drug. Several candidates have been developed to explore their anti-obesity effects. Additionally, hybrid peptides consisting of two or more peptide sequences with strong anorectic effects have been designed. Here, we review peptides that are important for feeding regulation in terms of their mechanisms of action, interactions, and clinical application as anti-obesity drugs.
Distribution of neuromedin U (NMU)-like immunoreactivity in the goldfish brain, and effect of intracerebroventricular administration of NMU on emotional behavior in goldfish
2022, Peptides
Citation Excerpt :
Three molecular forms of NMU, comprising 8, 23 or 25 amino acid residues (NMU-8, −23 and −25) have been characterized. These forms are bioactive, stimulate contraction of rat uterus in vitro and are potent vasoconstrictors in rats and dogs [2–4]. Subsequently, the NMU receptor was also identified, and shown to be a G protein-coupled receptor [5,6].
Neuromedin U (NMU) is a multifunctional neuropeptide implicated in regulation of smooth muscle contraction in the circulatory and digestive systems, energy homeostasis and the stress response, but especially food intake in vertebrates. Recent studies have indicated the possible involvement of NMU in the regulation of psychomotor activity in rodents. We have identified four cDNAs encoding three putative NMU variants (NMU-21, −25 and −38) from the goldfish brain and intestine. Recently, we have also purified these NMUs and the truncated C-terminal form NMU-9 from these tissues, and demonstrated their anorexigenic action in goldfish. However, there is no information on the brain localization of NMU-like immunoreactivity and the psychophysiological roles of NMU in fish. Here, we investigated the brain distribution of NMU-like immunoreactivity and found that it was localized throughout the fore- and mid-brains. We subsequently examined the effect of intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of NMU-21, which is abundant only in the brain on psychomotor activity in goldfish. As goldfish prefer the lower to the upper area of a tank, we developed an upper/lower area preference test in a tank for evaluating the psychomotor activity of goldfish using a personal tablet device without an automatic behavior-tracking device. ICV administration of NMU-21 at 10 pmol g^-1 body weight (BW) prolonged the time spent in the upper area of the tank, and this action mimicked that of ICV administration of the central-type benzodiazepine receptor (CBR) agonist tofisopam at 100 pmol g^-1 BW. These results suggest that NMU-21 potently induces anxiolytic-like action in the goldfish brain.
Characterization of neuromedin U (NMU), neuromedin S (NMS) and their receptors (NMUR1, NMUR2) in chickens
2018, Peptides
Citation Excerpt :
Neuromedin U (NMU) is a brain-gut peptide originally isolated from porcine spinal cord, which was named based on its ability to stimulate uterine smooth muscle contraction [1,2]. Subsequently, NMU peptide was also identified in other vertebrate species, including rats [3,4], dogs [5], humans [6], frogs [7], rabbits [8], guinea pigs [9], and chickens [10,11]. In pigs, two forms of NMU peptides, NMU-8 (8 amino acids) and its N-terminally extended form, NMU-25 (25 amino acids), have been identified [1].
Neuromedin U (NMU) and its structurally-related peptide, neuromedin S (NMS), are reported to regulate many physiological processes and their actions are mediated by two NMU receptors (NMUR1, NMUR2) in mammals. However, the information regarding NMU, NMS, and their receptors is limited in birds. In this study, we examined the structure, functionality, and expression of NMS, NMU, NMUR1 and NMUR2 in chickens. The results showed that: 1) chicken (c-) NMU cDNA encodes a 181-amino acid precursor, which may generate two forms of NMU peptide with 9 (cNMU-9) and 25 amino acids (cNMU-25), respectively. 2) Interestingly, two cNMS transcripts encoding two cNMS precursors of different lengths were identified from chicken pituitary, and both cNMS precursors may produce a mature cNMS peptide of 9 amino acids (cNMS-9). 3) cNMU-9, cNMU-25 and cNMS-9 could activate cNMUR1 expressed in HEK293 cells potently, as monitored by three cell-based luciferase reporter systems, indicating that cNMUR1 can act as a receptor common for cNMU and cNMS peptides, whereas cNMUR2 could be potently activated by cNMS-9, but not by cNMU-9/cNMU-25. 4) cNMU and cNMUR1 are widely expressed in chicken tissues with abundant expression noted in the gastrointestinal tract, as detected by quantitative real-time PCR, whereas cNMUR2 expression is mainly restricted to the brain and anterior pituitary, and cNMS is widely expressed in chicken tissues. Collectively, our data helps to elucidate the physiological roles of NMU/NMS peptides in birds and reveal the functional conservation and changes of NMU/NMS-NMUR axis across vertebrates.
Neuromedin U suppresses glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in pancreatic β cells
2017, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
Neuromedin U (NMU), a highly conserved peptide in mammals, is implicated in energy homeostasis and glycemic control, and may also be involved in the regulation of adipoinsular axis function. However, the role of NMU in regulating insulin secretion has not been clearly established. In this study, we investigated the role of NMU in the regulation of insulin secretion both in vitro and in vivo. We found that NMU and NMU receptor (NMUR) 1 were expressed in mouse islets and β cell-derived MIN6-K8 cells. In mice, NMU suppressed glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, an NMUR1 agonist inhibited GSIS in both MIN6-K8 cells and mice islets. Moreover, NMU attenuated intracellular Ca²⁺ influx in MIN6-K8 cells, potentially causing a decrease in insulin secretion. siNmu-transfected MIN6-K8 cells showed elevated GSIS. Treatment with anti-NMU IgG increased GSIS in isolated mouse pancreatic islets. These results suggested that NMU can act directly on β cells through NMUR1 in an autocrine or paracrine fashion to suppress insulin secretion. Collectively, our results highlight the crucial role of NMU in suppressing pancreatic insulin secretion, and may improve our understanding of glucose homeostasis.
Neuromedin U
2013, Handbook of Biologically Active Peptides

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Isolation and structural determination of rat neuromedin U

Summary

Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.

Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.

Neuropeptides

Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.

Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.

Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.